BV 1578 
.K3 
Copy 1 



%\t ?|ome 
department 



BY 



MINNIE K.L.KARNELL 




Class. 



_^i£*V 



Book > /<s g 

Copyright N° 



C.0EOOUGHT DEPosrr. 



Home department 



BY 

MINNIE K. L. KARNELL 

CHAIRMAN OF THE HOME DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE, 
INTERNATIONAL SUNDAY SCHOOL ASSOCL\TION 



PHILADELPHIA 

THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 

1919 



4* 
4? 



Copyright, 1919, 
By F. M. Braselman 



MAR 1 2 1920 

©CI.A565181 



^vVC 



I 



CO 



Contents 

PAGE 

Introduction 5 

Foreword 7 

I. Six Great Aims of the Home Department 9 

II. History and Organization 19 

III. Members, Their Duties and Privileges 25 

IV. Officers, Their Qualifications and Duties 28 

V. The Art of Visitation 34 

VI. The Quarterly Council Meeting 39 

VII. The Home Department Canvass . 43 

VIII. Standing Committees and Their Work 47 

IX. Social and Special Occasions 52 

X. Cooperating with the Sunday School 59 

XI. Family Worship and Responsible Christian Par- 
enthood 67 

XII. The Home Department and the Teaching of Self- 

Knowledge 74 

XIII. Group W x ork 78 

XIV. District, County, State, and International Or- 

ganization 83 

XV. State Standards 89 

Bibliography 94 



$0ti 



Sntrotruction 

The home is God's holiest and earliest school. No 
organization, divine or human, was ever intended to 
supplant it. It is in the home that the young growing 
lives should get their first impressions of God and their 
first lessons in God's great Book. 

The ideal of the father being the priest in the home 
and the mother the priestess and teacher and guide to 
the tender lives of the children has never been abro- 
gated. It is just this that affords the greatest oppor- 
tunity for the Home Department, for where the Home 
Department is recognized and carried out according to 
the modern plans in any home, there God's Word is 
studied, and if there be children they become familiar 
with the Book and are early taught to pray. 

Then, too, where there are no little people, in the 
chamber of sickness, in the solitude of old age, in the 
room of the shut-in for any cause, and with those who 
are unable to attend the services of the house of God 
for any reason, the Home Department comes as a 
blessing from the heavenly Father. 

This book, written by one whose heart is ready to 
burn to the socket for the advancement of Home De- 
partment ideals, will find a hearty reception as it goes 
forth into the world. It will be found not only to be 
a manual for workers, but a source of inspiration as 
well. That it may greatly increase Bible study in the 
homes and bring joy, confidence, and rest to many 
hearts is my wish and prayer. 

Marion Lawrance. 



jforetoorti 

The ideal of the Christian Church is the Christian 
home as a unit. The realization of this ideal is the 
high aim of the Church. The strongest force in the 
service of the Church, in working for the attainment 
of this ideal, is the organized Sunday school, and the 
strong right arm of the Sunday school is the Home 
Department. This department has for its field all 
who for any reason cannot or will not attend the regular 
sessions of the school. 

The work of .the whole school is to give to the whole 
family the Word of God; to teach and train the whole 
family to know God, to love his Word, to worship and 
serve him, and to bind together in close unity the three 
most powerful factors in the building of Christian char- 
acter, the home, the Church, and the Sunday school. 

This book is written for those who have had a vision 
of the possibilities of the Home Department and who 
are now engaged in its work. It is sent forth with the 
hope that it may inspire them to renewed zeal and 
greater efficiency and with a prayer that it may lead 
to a clearer understanding of its value, and a deeper 
appreciation of its opportunities and responsibilities, 
those who have not as yet added this department to 
their Sunday-school work. 

This book does not concern itself with untried 

7 



8 Jforetoorb 



theories, but with theories which have been put into 
practice and found to work. Every plan suggested, 
and every method explained, has been used by the 
writer or carried out with success under her own obser- 
vation by those with whom she has been associated in 
the work for fifteen years, as a local superintendent, 
county superintendent, member of State Home De- 
partment Council and member of State Home Depart- 
ment Committee, state superintendent, member of In- 
ternational Home Department Committee, secretary 
of the International Home Department Commission, 
and chairman of the International Home Department 
Committee. 



£s>tx #reat &tm£ of tlje ^ome department 

The most important factor in a nation's life is the 
home. The one aim of the Home Department, at its 
inception, was the systematic study of the Bible in 
the home. While it has held true to its original pur- 
pose, its sphere of usefulness has widened and deep- 
ened, till an up-to-date Home Department now has six 
outstanding aims : 

1. To secure the systematic study of God's Word on the part 
of the individual and to make membership in the Sunday school 
possible for all. 

In spite of the great enlightenment of the age, the 
widespread knowledge of God's Word, the increased 
activity for political and social reforms, and the multi- 
plicity of organizations of the Christian Church, we 
have come, upon a condition in the home life of the 
nation that is alarming. The home has gradually 
given up its duties and functions, abdicated its rights 
and prerogatives, until there is danger that it will be 
no longer the center for building a nation in virtue, 
religion, and prosperity. 

The first great need is the revival of the study of the 
Bible in the home. In thinking of any community it 
is possible' to call to mind a vast army of people who 
are never seen in Sunday school or church. Many of 

9 



10 tKljc &ome Department 

them are hindered from attending by reasons wholly 
beyond their control: mothers with little children or 
other household cares; the sick and the shut-ins and 
those who care for them; the aged, many of whom 
were once active in the work of the Church and Sun- 
day school. Then, too, our economic and social life has 
made it impossible for thousands of others to attend 
because they are employed on the Lord's day. There 
are also multitudes who are far away from any church 
or Sunday school, in lumber camps, mining districts, 
and great farming sections, and on the sea. 

Fifty years ago the Sunday school was largely con- 
sidered a children's school. No plan had been perfected 
for reaching youths and adults and those who could not 
attend. To-day the Sunday school not only has classes 
for all those who can attend, regardless of age; it is 
also making it possible for those who cannot attend to 
share in the privileges and blessings of the organized 
Sunday school through its Home Department. 

2. To aid in every possible way in the continuance, restora- 
tion, and erection of family altar worship, and to furnish a simple 
plan for those without family ties to have daily devotions. 

If the first great need of the home is a revival of Bible 
study, the second great need is a revival of family wor- 
ship. The home should be God's first and holiest 
school. Surely the Christian family should gather at 
least once a day for the reading of God's Word and 
prayer, but we deceive ourselves if we think that this 
is the usual practice even with Church members. It 



gnx <®reat Sims; of tfje Jfjome Bepartment 11 

would perhaps be difficult to find a church where even 
one fourth of the members observe family worship. 
Yet it should be the right of every child to look back 
in the hour of temptation and be able to recall the 
voices of father and mother in prayer and in the read- 
ing of God's Word. Such a picture in the gallery of the 
human mind is the strongest shield against the enemies 
of the soul. No work of any organization in the Church 
or outside of it can compare in influence with the years 
spent in such a home as is spoken of in Rom. 16:5 
where the church was in the house. If the Home De- 
partment did nothing more than enlist families and 
individuals in home worship it would be of permanent 
value in any Sunday school or church. 

A statesman tells the story of a visit which he made 
to a small western town. There were no hotels and 
he was entertained in a private home. His mission 
was not above reproach, and he was anxious to retire 
to his room to avoid being questioned by his host. The 
father called the family together, saying, "Our guest 
wishes to retire, so we will not detain him." He handed 
the Bible to the eldest son, who read a chapter, after 
which the father prayed. He prayed earnestly for 
those in authority, that they might be kept true to 
their trust. Then, mentioning his guest by name, he 
prayed that he might have no cause to look back upon 
this visit with regret. That night the statesman could 
not sleep. "The whole night through the fight raged 
in my soul/- he said, "and with morning I returned to 
my home without carrying into effect my plan. That 



12 W$z J&omt department 

family altar did for me what years of churchgoing had 
failed to accomplish. I am now a servant of the Most 
High God." 

3. To secure the sympathetic interest and helpful cooperation 
of the home in all the work of the Sunday school and church. 

One of the needs most keenly felt by all Sunday-school 
workers is the lack of cooperation between the Sunday 
school and the individual home. This is perhaps due 
in part to the fact that a large number of the children 
come from homes where the parents themselves are in- 
different to the church and the school. In many in- 
stances the attendance of the children in the Sunday 
school is due entirely to the active efforts of the 
Sunday-school workers, not infrequently in the face 
of active opposition on the part of the parents. Still 
we realize that unless we can interest the homes in 
the work of the school, and secure their sympathetic 
cooperation, much of the Sunday-school work will fall 
short of the desired result. It is here that the Home 
Department has found a wonderful opportunity for 
service. 

A pastor of a church in New Jersey told me that two 
thirds of his Sunday-school children came from homes 
which had no other connection with the church, and 
added: "How are we to secure the cooperation of these 
homes? We have the children for about an hour and 
a half on the Sabbath Day; without some help from 
the home, the results are very doubtful. In some of 
these homes there is no real opposition but, what is 



£l>tx <©reat aims; of tfje ^ome department 13 

just as harmful, an attitude of life-killing indifference. 
If we keep forever after the children, the parents will 
let them come; when we stop persuading, the children 
stop coming/ ' A year later I was invited to address a 
gathering of Home Department members and Sunday- 
school workers in that church. The pastor with beam- 
ing face told me that they were really solving the prob- 
lem through the Home Department visitor, who was 
bringing constantly to the attention of the home the 
aims and the work of the school, and interesting the 
parents, as real members of the school, through the 
Home Department. 

4. To reach the home a helping hand in the teaching of self- 
knowledge and the fundamental truths of life and purity. 

There is perhaps no subject so generally discussed and 
with such diversity of opinion as the question, Who 
shall instruct the children and youth of the land in 
morality and the fundamental truths of life and purity? 
That this instruction is greatly needed is acknowledged 
by all; but just how and by whom it is to be given, is 
an open question. 

An attempt was made in New Jersey to introduce 
this teaching into the public school, but the order was 
soon repealed. The teaching force and the parents 
alike were strongly opposed to it. The teachers claimed 
that they had had no special training for the teaching 
of this important subject. The parents contended that 
the average teacher was not fitted either by training or 
by experience to present this subject successfully; that 



14 TOje Home department 

the right atmosphere could not be secured in a class- 
room; that to place it on the same basis as arithmetic 
or history would do more harm than good; and that 
knowledge alone would never compel purity. The 
National Educational Association has gone on record as 
opposed to placing the subject in the curriculum of the 
public school, claiming that the home has already 
abdicated so many of its distinctive functions that to 
remove the responsibility for the teaching of morality 
and the truths of life would only do further injury to 
the home. 

The suggestion has been made repeatedly that the 
Sunday school undertake this important task. Some 
attempts have been made, but with little success. It 
has also been suggested that the pastors undertake 
this task, but the average pastor is a person of so many 
responsibilities that it is out of the question. 

It has also been suggested that the physical in- 
structors of our various organizations within and with- 
out the Church assume the responsibility, but this 
would mean the reaching of a comparatively small 
number, and at an age when the best time for such 
instruction is already past. Experience testifies that 
discussion of the subject is resented when a certain 
age has been reached. 

The whole matter is the repetition of the story of 
two men who, seeing a boy in the water, began dis- 
cussing how they should go about to save him. Should 
they throw him a life belt, swim out to him, or use a 
boat? While they were discussing ways and means 






£>ix (great &tma of tfje S?ome Bepartment 15 

the boy drowned. The Great War taught us that some- 
thing must be done, and done quickly, to awaken the 
home to its responsibility and give it such help as can 
be put into practical use at once. No greater new move- 
ment could be undertaken by the American Sunday 
school than a definite plan for helping the home at 
once. 

The Home Department has an open door into thou- 
sands of homes, and no department is discharging its 
full responsibility if it neglects now the opportunity to 
help the home, so that the children and youth of our 
land shall be safeguarded from the evils of the present 
day by their knowledge and appreciation of the sacred- 
ness of human life and the wonder and beauty of 
parenthood. (See Ch. XII.) 

5. To stimulate, awaken, and create a responsible Christian 
parenthood spirit. 

One is made to feel at times that the only thing that is 
now required of the home is to produce the children, 
and to feed and clothe them. For all other needs some 
outside organization will be responsible. Societies of 
every description clamor for the presence of men and 
women for all the hours of the day, and they answer 
the clamor and forget the home. The simple joys of 
the family meal, where mirth and good fellowship pre- 
vail, the quiet evening at home with father and mother, 
seem things of the past. The most dangerous change, 
however, has been the shifting of the responsibility for 
leading the children to a definite decision for Christ, 



16 ®fje Home department 

from the shoulders and hearts of the parents to outside 
persons or organizations. 

The Church of God is guilty in this respect because 
it has continued to magnify the teacher and other re- 
ligious workers and to be almost silent about the sacred 
duty and privilege of the man and woman who brought 
into the world a living soul, and from whom God in the 
final analysis will surely demand an account. Many 
parents seem to feel that when the child has been 
dressed and sent to the Sunday school they have dis- 
charged their full religious duty. If the child fails 
to develop a fine Christian character, the parents 
seem to feel that the Church or the Sunday school is to 
blame. 

The very efficiency of our Church organizations may 
in part have created these conditions, yet we are face 
to face with a numerical decline in the Church, and the 
fact that three out of four pupils leave the Sunday 
school without a definite decision for Christ. It is 
only too evident that the failure of the Church and 
the Sunday school is due in large measure to the in- 
difference and lack of cooperation in the home. 

The Home Department enters into a closer associa- 
tion with the home than any other agency of the 
Christian Church, and has here a great opportunity 
for service. The aim of the Home Department visitor 
should be to help the parents to a realization of the 
privilege and joy of leading their own children to a 
definite decision for Christ, showing them also the 
remorse and sorrow which must surely follow if they 



g>ix (great &tm* of tfje 3£ome department 17 

permit some one else to hold this place in the life and 
experience of their child. 

6. To use this God- given opportunity for personal work in the 
home. 

If the duty of the Church is to win men to Christ, 
and to make men like Christ, what about the great 
mass of people who are never found where the gospel 
is taught or preached? Is our work clone when the 
church bell is rung, the church duly advertised, and 
the best that can be had provided for the services, 
when we know that many, even within the sound of 
the bell, cannot or will not come? Ought we not to 
feel a special responsibility for those without? Should 
they not receive this blessed invitation even if it has 
to be carried to them in their homes? Few churches 
can afford to employ regular parish visitors, and in 
many churches the pastor is the only person engaged 
in home visitation. It is here that the Home Depart- 
ment visitor, trained in the Home Department Coun- 
cil, steps in and becomes a pastor's assistant ar.d a soul 
winner. 

The author has had the pleasure of having charge 
of two large Home Department councils in which the 
visitors regarded their office as a gracious opportunity 
for personal work. Many hours were spent in prepara- 
tion for this work in the homes. One visitor brought 
four adults to the session of the church before the 
regular communion service. It was a complete sur- 
prise as well as a wonderful inspiration. Another 
2 



18 QDfje J^ome department 

visitor purposed to lead at least one to Christ for 
every quarterly communion service. Many homes can 
testify to the wonderful influence of this department. 
Surely no Sunday school can consider itself complete if 
it fails to make use of the evangelizing opportunities of 
the Home Department. 

Review Questions 

1. Name six objects for which the Home Department 
stands. 

2. Who are admitted to membership in the Home 
Department? 

3. What is the first great need of the homes of the 
nation? 

4. What is a second great need? 

5. Why is cooperation with the home so essential to 
the success of the Sunday-school work? 

6. How may this cooperation be brought about? 

7. Who should teach the fundamental truths of life 
and purity to children and youth? 

8. Who should lead the child to a definite decision 
for Christ? Why? 

9. What can the Church and the Sunday school do 
to reach the people who either cannot or will not come 
to them? 



II 

The original idea of the Home Department was a 
class in the out-of-the-way place, held in a kitchen, 
parlor, porch, bam, or under a sheltering tree, for 
children and with a teacher. Dr. W. A. Duncan, of 
Syracuse, New York, was fathering this idea, and his 
plan was to reach neglected boys and girls. The vision 
of reaching neglected men and women had not yet 
come. Dr. Duncan's effort dates back to 1881. 

It is claimed that Dr. S. W. Dike, of Vermont, first 
had a class of adults who studied the lessons by them- 
selves, dispensing with the teacher and introducing the 
visitor. 

The Home Department as we know it to-day was 
adopted at a meeting of the International Sunday 
School Executive Committee, at Chautauqua, New 
York, in August, 1892. State and provincial associa- 
tions have appointed secretaries or superintendents to 
further the work. County and district organizations 
have done likewise. 

The Home Department must be connected with a 
Sunday school. Its members are members of the 
Sunday school. Its officers and visitors are members 
of the official board with the same standing as officers 
and teachers of other departments. The department 

19 



20 {TObe $?ome ©epartment 

reports to the Sunday school at least once a quarter. 
Its members are always welcome at the school sessions, 
and are invited on all special occasions. In brief, the 
Home Department is an integral part of the Sunday 
school. 

There are many ways in which Home Departments 
have been organized. Some schools have appointed a 
committee to study the aims and methods of the de- 
partment. Other schools have given some one person 
authority to select the workers and secure some mem- 
bers, later organizing these into a department. 

Ordinarily the question of organization should be 
taken up at a regular meeting of the Sunday school 
officers or at a special meeting called by the super- 
intendent for that purpose. The aims and work of 
the department should be presented in a forceful man- 
ner. This might be done by the superintendent or the 
pastor. It will also be found helpful to have para- 
graphs read from some good Home Department book. 
The best plan is to have a successful and enthusiastic 
Home Department worker address the meeting. After 
discussion, action should be taken authorizing the 
organization of the department. Then a superintend- 
ent should be elected. Much care should be taken in 
the selection of a superintendent as the success of the 
department will depend largely upon the leadership. 
The selection should meet with the approval of the 
pastor. 

Sufficient time should be given the newly elected 
superintendent for the careful selection of the visitors. 



SMatorp anb ©rgamjation 21 

The superintendent and visitors should then meet for 
organization. A secretary and a treasurer should be 
elected from their own number, or, better still, from 
without. 

These officers and visitors constitute the Home De- 
partment Council. The council should spend one or 
two afternoons or evenings in studying the field and 
the methods of carrying on the work, and in selecting 
the printed material that is to be used. The territory 
should be divided into districts, each worker given 
definite instructions and a time set for the beginning 
of the canvass. A limited time should be agreed upon 
for enrolling charter members. (See following chap- 
ters.) 

On the Sunday preceding the canvass the pastor 
should be asked to preach on "The Place of the Bible 
in the Home," or some other subject in connection 
with the Home Department work, to explain the plan, 
to urge every member of the church not connected 
with the Sunday school to join this department, and 
to call attention to the literature which has been placed 
in the pews or which will be handed out at the close 
of the service. 

At the Sunday-school session on the same day the 
superintendent should explain the Home Department 
work to the whole school, appeal for the cooperation 
of teachers and members, and explain the use of the 
printed material distributed. The superintendent 
should then call the officers and the visitors of the new 
department to the platform and introduce them to 



22 TOje ffiomt department 

the school, after which they are set apart by prayer for 
the important task to which they are committed. 
Such a plan adds dignity to the work and starts the 
department in a business-like way. 

There are some schools where both the pastor and 
the superintendent are blind to the opportunities of 
the Home Department. Shall such schools be without 
a Home Department? There may be a man or a 
woman who has had a vision of the work and who 
would be willing to undertake the task. Such was the 
case of Mrs. Edward. She had been greatly stirred by 
an address on Home Department work at a state con- 
vention. Immediately upon her return she called upon 
the Sunday-school superintendent and brought the 
matter to his attention. He, however, claimed that 
he had enough to do as it was, and was not quite sure 
that he approved of the plan. Nothing daunted, Mrs. 
Edward went to the pastor, but he thought that such 
a department would prove an excuse for many to stay 
away from the school and so do more harm than good. 

Mrs. Edward asked that she be permitted to do a 
little experimental work. Her request was granted, 
though she was told not to ask anyone to join the 
Home Department who could possibly come to the 
school. With a friend she began her visitation. The 
first day only three persons were secured, one of these 
a crippled girl. The next week this girl secured four 
other members, two of them men who were employed 
on Sunday. After ten days Mrs. Edward reported to 
the Sunday school a Home Department of eleven mem- 



I&i&tavv ant> €>v$ani}atitm 23 

bers. At once the pastor became interested, especially 
because he had been trying to get hold of one of the 
men secured by the crippled girl. 

The next week Mrs. Edward and her friend again 
went visiting. At the first place where they called, 
the lady said: "I am a member already. I could not 
refuse my pastor/' That day there were other evi- 
dences of the pastor's interest. On Sunday he added 
nine names to their five, and there were then twenty- 
five members. That morning the pastor urged every- 
one not already connected with the Sunday school to 
join the Home Department. A meeting of the Sunday- 
school association was called for the following week. 
At this meeting the department was formally adopted 
and Mrs. Edward was elected superintendent. To-day 
that department is one of the best departments in New 
Jersey. 

In a large city church in South Jersey, the Sunday- 
school superintendent was not at all interested in Home 
Department work. The pastor, however, felt that 
there was a need for this work in his parish. Quietly 
he began to interest his members in the systematic 
study of the Bible through the Home Department. 
Later the writer, who was called upon to address a 
meeting in that church, found a department of one 
hundred and eight members, nearly all of whom had 
been secured by the pastor. There were also present 
nine women who were willing to become visitors. Yet 
the state • superintendent had been told that it was 



24 Wt)t J&omt department 

practically impossible to organize a Home Department 
there. 

Review Questions 

1. What was the original idea of the Home Class 
Movement? 

2. What are the mistakes that usually lead to failure 
and when are they made? 

3. Name three elements essential to a successful 
department. 

4. How should the visitors be appointed? 

5. Should these workers organize? Why? How? 
What should be the name of their organization? 

6. What can the Sunday-school superintendent do 
to start the department properly? 

7. How can the pastor help? 

8. Should the workers be installed? Why? How? 

9. What is the relation of this department to the 
Sunday school? 



Ill 
ffizmbttti, Wfytiv Butte* anti Ihrtotlege* 

In 1912 the Home Department adopted two grades 
of membership: Grade A embraces those who study 
the Sunday-school lesson at least a half hour each week, 
and, so far as practicable, have daily worship with the 
reading of the Bible and prayer with the members of 
their families, and those without family ties, who have 
daily devotions. (See Ch. II.) 

Grade B embraces those who study the Sunday- 
school lesson at least a half hour each week. 

Duties of Members 

1. To study the lesson at least a half hour each week. 
If prevented at any time, to try to make up the lessons 
before the end of the quarter. 

2. To have the report envelope marked and ready 
for the visitor at the end of each quarter. This is 
very important and will enable the visitor to make a 
complete report promptly. 

3. To make a weekly contribution, if so inclined, 
and place the same in the report envelope. This is 
not required, and a member is in good standing with- 
out making "contributions, if the lessons have been 
studied; but each member of the Home Department 

25 . 



26 Ki)t ^ome department 

is invited to share in the whole work of the school, 
spiritual, social, and financial. 

4. To take a general interest in the work of the 
department, invite others to join as opportunities may 
offer, attend, if possible, all special occasions arranged 
in the interest of the work, and at all times and in all 
places speak a good word for the Home Department. 

5. To notify the visitor of any special need in the 
member's own home or in the community, where the 
department, the Sunday school, or the pastor may be 
of service. 

6. To pray daily for the members of the department, 
and for the spreading of the knowledge of the Word of 
God. 

Privileges of Members 

1. To become a member of the Sunday school. 

2. To be assigned to a group or district with a visitor 
in charge, and, together with other members, form a 
section of the Home Department, just as the class is 
a section of the Sunday school. 

3. To be provided with a helpful plan for the regular 
systematic study of God's Word. 

4. To be provided with helps for family worship 
and daily devotional Bible-reading. 

5. To receive at least four calls from the visitor 
during the year. 

6. To be invited to all special functions of the Sun- 
day school and church. 

7. To have a share in the missionary and benevolent 
work of the Sunday school. 



Jllembera, Wi)tit Butted anb $ritulege* 27 

8. To receive the ministration of the pastor as a 
member of the parish. 

9. To have the use of the Sunday-school library. 

Review Questions 

1. What are the two grades of membership in the 
Home Department? State requirement in each grade. 

2. Should a membership card be used? 

3. Should the members be asked to contribute? 

4. How may the visitor secure the marking of the 
envelope? 

5. How may the members help further the work of 
the department? 

6. What are some of the privileges enjoyed by the 
members? 



IV 

Officer*, Wbzit (©ualtftcattong anti Butte* 

The Superintendent 

A superintendent of a city school was asked if it 
would not be possible to organize a Home Department 
in his school. "Yes, I think so," he replied. "It is 
the only point we need to make us a ten-point school. 
There is Mrs. Blank; she is not of much account as a 
worker, but she is a prominent Church member, and I 
think she would feel honored if she were asked to act 
as superintendent." Mrs. Blank was asked. The 
Home Department was promptly started — and just as 
promptly failed. 

So much depends on finding the right person, and 
so much harm may result from placing in charge a 
person unfitted for the work, that great care should be 
exercised in the selection of a superintendent. 

His Qualifications 

The superintendent should be (1) a man or a woman 
of sterling Christian character, with a firm belief in the 
power of the Word of God; (2) a firm believer in the 
Home Department as an agency for spreading the 
knowledge of God's Word; (3) the possessor of execu- 
tive ability — the power to plan and the ability to carry 
the plan into execution, to see clearly the way and to 
lead his coworkers with him, to know the work as a 

28 



Officer*, {Kbeir (©ualificatton* anb ©uttes 29 

whole and to be able to impart that knowledge to 
others, and, in case of failure, to rise again with better 
prepared plans, and lessons learned, more determined 
to try and to succeed; (4) one who can see possibilities 
in every home, and who will not fear indifference or 
opposition; (5) one who has diplomacy or tact; (6) 
one who is able to impart his own enthusiasm to others. 

His Duties 

1. To know his work: to know the aims of the de- 
partment; the best methods adapted to the local needs; 
the printed material furnished by his own denomina- 
tion, and all such other material as may be of special 
help in his field. 

2. To know his field: the religious conditions; the 
living conditions; the best way of dividing his field; 
how to instruct the visitor with regard to each district. 

3. To choose the visitors after consulting with the 
pastor and the Sunday-school superintendent. 

4. To know each visitor personally and supervise 
the work of all. 

5. To plan the work for each quarter, present the 
plans at the council meetings, and see that these are 
carried into effect. 

6. To do occasional visiting (if it is not possible to 
care for a regular district) , so as to keep in touch with 
the experiences and difficulties of visitors. 

7. To give the pastor a summary of the quarter's 
work, and ■ to keep him informed weekly or monthly 
of homes which need his special attention. 



30 tKfte JNme department 

8. To plan for the social occasions and see that the 
members are invited to all special functions of the 
church and school, and to make use of every oppor- 
tunity for promoting a close fellowship between the 
department and the school. 

9. To give quarterly statistical reports before the 
Sunday-school session, with such incidents as will bring 
the work definitely before the school. 

10. To see that the department works in cooperation 
with the other departments of the school in securing 
members for the various departments as opportunity 
may offer in the visitation of the homes. 

Review Questions 

1. Name some of the qualifications of a successful 
superintendent. 

2. What is meant by executive ability? What is 
diplomacy? 

3. What is the first duty of the superintendent? 

4. Who should be consulted in choosing the visitors? 

5. Should the superintendent be a visitor? 

6. How often should a summary of the work be 
given to the pastor? 

7. What should be included in the quarterly state- 
ment presented to the Sunday school? 

The Secretary and the Treasurer 

A secretary can do much to make the work run 
smoothly, to keep the department before the church 
and the school, and to arouse and maintain interest. 

The secretary should not be a visitor. 



Officers;, ©fjcir ©ualtftcationa anb Butie* 31 

Duties of the Secretary 

1. To keep a perfect, up-to-date record of the mem- 
bership, both alphabetically and by districts. 

2. To keep a complete record of all transactions at 
all council meetings. 

3. To order the supplies. If material in more than 
one language is needed, to see that the right kind is 
ordered. If the material is ordered by the Sunday 
school, to see that it is received on time. 

4. To prepare the quarterlies for the visitors, to- 
gether with report blanks and envelopes and such 
special material as is to be placed in the homes. 

5. To keep a perfect record of the work of each 
visitor, and to prepare the report for the quarterly 
council meeting. 

6. To prepare a quarterly report to be given by the 
superintendent at the Sunday-school session. 

7. To fill out the county and state statistical reports 
and see that they are returned on time. 

8. To send out such notices and invitations as the 
council may decide, to write notes of sympathy and 
other communications. 

9. To keep the Home Department Roll in the Sun- 
day school corrected and up-to-date. 

10. To prepare items of interest for the church bul- 
letin or monthly paper, and to see that the Sunday- 
school superintendent and the pastor advertise the 
department in every possible way by desk and pulpit 
notices. 



32 ®&e Jlotm department 

Duties of the Treasurer 

1. To keep a perfect record of all funds received 
from envelope contributions, collections, or personal 
gifts. 

2. To dispense the funds as the council shall direct 
and in accordance with the regulations of the school. 

3. To present a financial statement at every quarterly 
council meeting. 

4. To prepare an annual financial report. 

The Home Department must conduct its finances in 
accordance with the decisions of the school. Yet there 
are some things essential for the success of the work. 

1. The Home Department treasurer is a necessary 
official, whether the department buys its own supplies, 
pays its own bills, and decides on its own benevolent 
and missionary contributions, or whether the Sunday 
school pays the bills and distributes the surplus. 

2. No visitor should be permitted to turn the con- 
tributions from the individual district or group over 
to the Sunday-school treasurer. This money must be 
turned over to the Home Department treasurer. 

3. Where the department conducts its own finances, 
the money should be banked in the name of the depart- 
ment, and all bills paid by check. 

4. A financial statement, showing just how the 
money has been expended, should be issued yearly, 
and a copy sent to each member of the department. 

The Home Department is the least expensive depart- 
ment in the Sunday school to operate and has usually 



#fftcct% ®f)etr ©ualtftcattons; anb Buties; 33 

the largest surplus. Nearly all of its work is done out- 
side the school session. Many large departments have 
monthly business meetings, and all standard depart- 
ments have quarterly council meetings. Many of the 
needs of the department are known to the visitor only, 
and there is a general feeling that many of these needs 
may be more promptly met if the department conducts 
its own finances. Many of the largest and most suc- 
cessful departments now take entire charge of all their 
work, including finances, with the full consent of their 
Sunday school. 

Review Questions 

1. What can the secretary do to further the interets 
of the department? 

2 State the duties of the secretary. 

3. Should the secretary be a visitor? Why? 

4. What is the Home Department Roll? Where and 
how is it kept? 

5. What material must the secretary have ready for 
the visitor before the close of the quarter? 

6. Why is the Home Department treasurer a neces- 
sary official? 

7. What should be the deciding factor in the matter 
of finance? 

8. To whom does the visitor give the contributions 
from her district? 

9. How often should the members receive a state- 
ment of the distribution of the funds of the depart- 
ment? 



Wbt 8rt of ^tettatiou 

Great care should be taken in the selection of the 
visitor. The qualifications of the visitor should be 
much the same as those of the superintendent. While 
there are successful men visitors, it is generally con- 
ceded that women are better adapted for this work. 
As a rule they have more time at their command, can 
visit the homes under many circumstances when it 
would be out of the question to send a man, can meet 
many needs of the home and be a confidential friend to 
the family. Mature men or women should be chosen. 
Very young people do not make good visitors; their 
lack of experience makes it impossible for them to 
understand the problems and share in the trials and 
difficulties of the home. In the work among firemen, 
street-car men, railroad men, policemen, in life-saving 
stations, homes for men, men's hospital wards, and 
similar places, the visitor should be a man. 

Duties of Visitors 

1. To attend the quarterly council meeting. 

2. To accept every member of the homes committed 
to their care as a definite responsibility. 

34 



TOje art of ^Xtettattcm 35 

3. To secure a report from every member, once 
every quarter, even if it requires more than one visit. 

4. To make a complete written report at each quar- 
terly council meeting. 

5. To visit every new family in their districts and 
report to the superintendent as soon as possible. 

6. To see that in case of illness members are remem- 
bered with flowers or delicacies, and in case of death, 
with such floral tributes as the department may provide. 

7. To be especially interested in the members of 
their districts at the social functions or special occa- 
sions and to see that they are made to feel at home 
and introduced to the other members of the depart- 
ment. 

8. To report promptly any cases of illness or any 
special need in their districts or anything that may be 
of help to the pastor in his work in the parish. 

9. To send birthday cards to the members and to 
see that the shut-ins are especially cared for. 

10. To give special attention to members in all cases 
of illness, whether in the home or in the hospital. In 
cases of quarantine, to write bright, cheery, sympathetic 
notes, and to get other visitors to do the same. 

A Message to Visitors 

1. Pray before you leave your home on your day of 
visitation, and again before entering each home. 

2. Dress as you would for a church service or a social 
call anywhere. Many visitors lose influence by being 
careless in this respect. 



36 ®fje ^ome department 

3. Try to place yourself in the position of the one 
whom you are visiting. 

4. Always remember that you are a representative 
of the Church and an ambassador for God. 

5. Do not patronize the poor or cringe before the 
rich; if you do, the poor will hate you and the rich 
will despise you. 

6. Be friendly and natural. Be sympathetic and 
interested in the things which concern each home. 

7. Be always on the lookout for new members, and 
for opportunities for service to all. 

8. Be strictly confidential with all your members. 

9. Be always prepared with extra report envelopes 
in case any of your members should have mislaid theirs. 

10. Always have plenty of membership cards with 
you, so that should you find neighbors, friends, or rela- 
tives visiting in the homes of your members, you may 
be ready to take advantage of the opportunity. Have 
also Cradle Roll cards and invitation cards to other 
departments of the Sunday school and church with you 
at all times. 

11. Take an interest in the things in which your 
members are interested, be it a new baby, a dress, a 
plant, books, music, a garden, the children away from 
home, farming, or chickens, and try to remember the 
interests of each member from time to time. 

12. Go over the quarter's lessons before you make 
your call, that you may have them fresh in mind, but 
do not unduly press your knowledge on your members. 

13. Read books on the subject of self-knowledge and 



Cije art of Visitation 37 

the fundamental truths of life, so as to be able to meet 
these subjects helpfully in your conversation. 

14. In the homes where there are children who belong 
to the Sunday school, give such information as will make 
the home interested in the work of the whole school. 

15. Have confidence in yourself and in the work 
which you are doing. 

16. Be always on the lookout to speak a good word 
for Jesus Christ. It may be that you are the one to 
win that home for him. Don't miss your chance! 

Some Don'ts 

1. Don't leave your supplies with the maid or hang- 
ing from the door knob. Make the extra call if neces- 
sary. It pays. 

2. Don't go to the home with the attitude, "I have 
come to do you good"; you would resent that yourself. 

3. Don't inflict your cares and troubles on your 
members. 

4. Don't speak disparagingly of any church or church 
official. 

5. Don't be led into religious controversy. If an 
invalid or any of your members should ask your opinion, 
be ready to give it in a kindly Christian spirit, but 
don't marshal your arguments in battle array. 

6. Don't be inquisitive. Be interested in the family 
and show your interest at all times. 

7. Don't stay too long. 

8. Don't talk too much. Shut-ins enjoy the oppor- 
tunity of telling of the things which interest them. 



38 TOje ©ome department 

9. Don't forget that all your work and visits in the 
home should have one object, that of winning the home 
for Christ. 

10. Don't miss your opportunity of helping the home 
in the observance of family worship. 

11. Don't think you cannot be a successful visitor. 
While natural gifts and adaptability are of great value, 
if you will apply yourself to the rules here laid down 
and study your field and human nature, you will fit 
yourself to be a successful visitor and make visitation 
a delight to yourself as well as a blessing to others. 

Review Questions 

1. Give some reasons why there are more women 
visitors than men visitors. 

2. Name some places where men are better fitted for 
the work. 

3. What is the first duty of a visitor? 

4. Name nine other important duties. 

5. How can the visitor help the other departments 
in her visitation? 

6. Name some of the important things in the art of 
visitation. 

7. What should be your point of contact with the 
home? 

8. How may you interest the home in the work of 
the school? 

9. What is the chief object of all your work? 

10. Mention some of the important don'ts for Home 
Department visitors. 

11. How ma}' you become a successful visitor in the 
face of obstacles? 



VI 
Wt)t (©uartetlp Council jWeetmg 

The quarterly meeting of the Home Department 
Council should be the special care of the superintend- 
ent. Some departments hold it before the close of the 
quarter but the second week after the close of the 
quarter has proved the most satisfactory time for this 
meeting. The visitors are then returning from their 
touch with the homes; the problems are fresh in their 
minds; new suggestions have come to them from their 
experiences; and where especially successful work has 
been done, they are eager to tell of it. It is also the 
best time to plan for the new quarter's work. When 
the meeting is held at this time ; it will be necessary 
for the secretary to have the material ready for the 
visitors, and the superintendent may call them together 
for a few moments at the close of a week-day or Sun- 
day service to give any special instruction before they 
go out. 

The meeting should be made so interesting that no 
visitor would willingly be absent from it. A visitor 
should be appointed at the previous meeting to con- 
duct the devotions. Occasionally this period should be 
in charge of the pastor, the Sunday-school superintend- 
ent, or the Home Department superintendent. After 
the usual business, such as the reading of the minutes, 

39 



40 Cfje J^ome department 

report of treasurer, and reports of special committees, 
the program should include a survey of the quarter's 
work, presentations of new plans for the coming quarter, 
and a special subject for discussion. 

The visitors' written reports should form the basis 
for the survey. All visitors should be given a chance 
to read their own reports, to call attention to special 
problems in their districts, or to make mention of any 
encouraging features. If a visitor is unable to attend, 
a written report should be sent to the superintendent 
in time for this meeting. After the reports are given, 
the spiritual needs of the homes should be presented 
and prayers offered for special cases. New plans for 
the quarter's work should then be considered, arrange- 
ments made for special occasions, and the necessary 
committees appointed. The special topic for the day 
should then be considered. It is a good plan to have a 
subject a'ssigned at least one month before the meeting, 
and to assist the visitor with material for discussion. 
This should be the visitors' training school. 

Some of the following subjects should prove helpful: 
"The Art of Visitation," "Personal Work in the 
Home," "Family Worship," "How the Department 
Can Assist the Church During an Evangelistic Cam- 
paign," "How to Assist the Sunday School Before 
Decision Day," "How to Secure New Members," 
"How to Present the Work of the School to the 
Home," "How to Present the Subject of Self-Knowl- 
edge," "How to Provide a Loan Library on the Prin- 
ciples of Truth and Morality/' "How to Conduct a 



®be ©uarterlp Council iftleeting 41 

Home Department Prayer Meeting/ ' "How to Con- 
duct a Mothers' Meeting," "How to Win an Entrance 
into the Home," "How to Get Members to Mark 
Their Reports." 

At this meeting visitors should study together the 
changing conditions of the parish. New phases of the 
work should be presented, various experiences may be 
exchanged, and the diplomacy and tact necessary in 
difficult cases may be discussed. 

This meeting should be of special interest to the 
pastor. He should bring to this council any special 
plan in which the department can cooperate, such as 
an evangelistic campaign, interest in the prayer meet- 
ing, assistance in securing the attendance of parents 
at the church services. He should also tell the coun- 
cil of homes where the visitor may be of special 
service. 

The closing moments of the meeting should be spent 
in social intercourse. The serving of light refreshments 
will add much to a delightful fellowship. 

Review Questions 

1. When should the quarterly council meeting be 
held? 

2. Who has charge of the plans for this meeting? 

3. What should be the nature of the meeting and 
the order of business? 

4. Who should usually have charge of the devotions? 
Why? 

5. In what form should the visitors' reports be pre- 
sented? Why? 



42 Wfje J^ome department 

6. How should the spiritual needs of the homes be 
met? 

7. Name some topics for special discussion. 

8. How may the pastor and the Sunday-school 
superintendent show their interest in this meeting? 

9. How should the meeting close? 



VII 

Wi)t J^ome department Canbaste 

The object of the Home Department canvass should 
be: 

1. To gain a helpful knowledge of the whole parish. 

2. To learn who may be secured for Church member- 
ship. 

3. To secure members for church organizations. 

4. To discover talent available for the church and 
school. 

5. To secure members for the various departments 
of the Sunday school. 

6. To discover members for the Home Department. 
The canvassers should spend at least one or two 

afternoons or evenings in preparation for the work. 
They should study the field as a whole; the district 
to which each worker is assigned; the material they 
are to carry with them; and the manner of approach- 
ing the home. They should have before them a list of 
the church members who are not in the school, the 
names of the parents of all children in all departments 
of the Sunday school who are not already connected 
with the school, also the names of the members of all 
church organizations who are not members of the 
school. But the canvass should not be confined to 
these names. In these days of frequent religious cen- 
suses, there is no objection to visiting every home, 

43 



44 tTObe %ome department 

Protestant, Catholic, Jew, or nonchurch, whether in 
country community, suburban town, or city parish. 

A special service should be arranged for the Sunday 
preceding the canvass. The pastor should be asked to 
preach on some subject in connection with the work 
of the department, to urge all members of the church 
who are not already in the Sunday school to join this 
department, and also to request them to speak to their 
friends and their neighbors about the canvass. The 
pastor can give further assistance by speaking of the 
canvass in his own visitation and by distributing the 
invitation leaflets in the homes. On the same day a 
service of consecration should be held in the Sunday 
school when the visitors should be installed and set 
apart by prayer. (See Ch. II.) 

Where the canvass is conducted for the first time, it 
is better for two visitors to go together. Where the 
canvass has become an established annual affair, one 
visitor may go alone so that the field may be covered 
in less time. 

A card should be used in gathering information. 
This should contain a space for name, address, Church 
affiliation, number of adults, number of children, name 
and address of the visitor making the call and giving 
the information. Special remarks should be made on 
the back of the card. 

Words to the Canvasser 

Never ask in any home if the members are Christians, 
or if they read the Bible. No one likes to be classed as 



Wfje ?£ome Bepartment Canba#£ 45 

a "heathen" in a Christian land. If you create antag- 
onism you will get no farther than the door. Frankly 
state the object of your call, that you are helping to 
make a religious canvass of your community, and ask 
what church the family attends. If they are Church 
members, and the children are attending some Sun- 
day school, your work there is done. If such is not 
the case, fill in the information asked on your card and 
then invite all the members of the family to the serv- 
ices of the church and school. Where you find that 
persons cannot or will not attend the sessions of the 
Sunday school, you have an open field for the Home 
Department. Be prepared to make full use of your 
opportunity. Tell them that their inability to attend 
class sessions need not keep them from the Sunday school. 

Many will be glad to join the school in this simple, 
helpful way; but where there is hesitation or objec- 
tion, be ready to meet it so far as you are able. Explain 
how the members become part of the world-wide Home 
Department family; tell of the visitor's interest in her 
members; the helpfulness of systematic Bible study; and 
the blessing that it will be to the children of the home. 

Never allow a person to answer "No" immediately. 
Leave the quarterly and such other material as you 
have brought and promise to call again. Do not over- 
look the invalids or shut-ins. Make special effort to 
secure their membership. Where there are children or 
young people who for any reason cannot attend the 
Sunday school, enlist them also and promise to secure 
the right material for them. 



46 TOje S^ome Bepartment 

Where the canvass is conducted for the first time, a 
month should be held open for charter members and a 
report made each Sunday in the Sunday school. This 
will stimulate the interest of the school. One depart- 
ment in New Jersey made 700 calls in one month. The 
effort added 28 members to adult classes, seven to 
other departments, eleven babies to the Cradle Roll, 
and 93 members to the Home Department. It also 
discovered three young men who formed the beginning 
of a Sunday-school orchestra. 

Such a canvass should be made annually. 

Review Questions 

1. What are the objects for which the canvass is 
conducted? 

2. How should the workers prepare for it, and what 
material is needed? 

3. Should one or two visitors make the calls? 

4. What should be your method of approach to the 
home? 

5. How can you overcome objections? 

6. Should a definite refusal be accepted? Why? 

7. How long should the canvass continue? 

8. How frequently should the results be reported in 
the Sunday school? 

9. What members in the home should especially be 
sought out? 

10. What special service should be held before under- 
taking the canvass? 

11. How should the visitors be sent forth? 

12. How frequently should a canvass be made? 



VIII 
gbtanbtng Committee* anb ©Jjetr JUorfe 

A well organized department should have four stand- 
ing committees. Special committees should be ap- 
pointed as occasion requires and discharged when their 
tasks are accomplished. The standing committees 
should be appointed at the annual meeting and should 
serve for one year. The standing committees should 
be: Membership, Social, Flower, and Welfare. 

Membership Committee 

It should be the duty of this committee to work 
with the visitors and be constantly on the lookout for 
new members. Where the department has adopted 
the rule of visiting every new family in the parish 
within ten days after its arrival, it should be the duty 
of the Membership Committee to see that the visitor 
makes the call. If it is impossible for the visitor to 
do so, a member of this committee should make the 
call. The names of new members should be presented 
by this committee at the council meeting. The com- 
mittee should also go over the membership roll each 
quarter, seeking out such members as might be able 
to attend the Sunday-school session and encouraging 
them to do so. 

All resignations should be handed to this committee, 

47 



48 ®fje Home department 

which should investigate each case and see if it is not 
possible to retain the member. Sometimes misunder- 
standings and difficulties arise which this committee 
may help to clear away. No resignation should be 
accepted by the council unless recommended by the 
Membership Committee. 

Social Committee 

This committee should have charge of the social 
part of each monthly or quarterly council meeting 
and all special occasions where such services are needed. 

Flower Committee 

This committee is very important to the success of 
the department, and a stated amount of money should 
be appropriated for each quarter's work. Flowers and 
delicacies should be provided for the members at the 
discretion of the committee. Hospital cases should be 
its special charge. In a case of quarantine, the com- 
mittee should plan to have brief notes of comfort and 
sympathy sent twice a week or, better still, every other 
day, arranging for the members of the council to take 
turns, and, where the quarantine is of long duration, 
calling upon the members of the department to par- 
ticipate. 

One Home Department, for instance, helped a widow 
over ten hard weeks when her children were ill with 
scarlet fever. The first week the department sent 
flowers and the visitor wrote her a note of sympathy. 
The second week the department sent fruit. The com- 



^tanbing Committee* anb Cfjetr ©Borfe 49 

mittee then arranged with the members of the council 
to send a cheery friendly letter three times each week. 
Each member was given a specific date and the super- 
intendent promised to write a special note each week. 

Another Home Department constantly remembered 
a member who was forced to spend several months in 
a hospital. Toward the close of her stay in the hos- 
pital, the Home Department superintendent was per- 
mitted to see her. The head nurse met the superintend- 
ent at the door and asked, " Would you mind telling me 
who Mrs. Deal is?" "Why," answered the superin- 
tendent, "she is a member of our church." "Oh, I 
don't mean that," replied the nurse; "I would like to 
know what makes her so prominent or why she receives 
so much attention. Practically all the patients in this 
ward are members of some church, but they are receiv- 
ing little or no attention, while Mrs. Deal has had 
post cards, letters, fruit, delicacies, flowers, telephone 
calls, and visits. Throughout her stay of nearly three 
months, it seems as though she has been remembered 
every day. The other patients have been watching her 
with interest." The superintendent then explained 
that Mrs. Deal was a member of the Home Depart- 
ment and that the plan was to make all members feel 
that they belonged to a big family. 

A happy way of remembering hospital patients, 
especially children, is a "Sunshine Box" which con- 
tains suitable packages to be opened each day. Such 
a box often brings joy and interest to a whole ward. 



50 TOje J^ome department 

Welfare Committee 

At the International Sunday School Convention, 
held in June, 1918, at Buffalo, N. Y., the Home De- 
partment Conference adopted the following resolution: 
" Resolved, that a committee be appointed in each 
Home Department to seek out needy cases and to 
cooperate with such local organizations as may exist, 
and also with organizations of a national character, in 
meeting these needs.' ' 

The finding of the commission was as follows: The 
Home Department, dealing directly with the individual 
home, and knowing usually most intimately the con- 
ditions in the home, should be a powerful factor in 
cooperating with other organizations now working for 
the betterment of the home. 

The Welfare Committee of the department should 
cooperate with any organization in the community of 
a local or national character in seeking out and min- 
istering to needy families. 

During a recent hard winter, one department secured 
the cooperation of the Needle Work Guild of America 
to provide new underwear for several needy families. 
In cooperation with a local organization, they secured 
coal and food for families sadly in need. Several per- 
sons were helped in securing employment by having 
their names placed with the employment bureau of the 
YMCA. 

It should also be the duty of this committee to ar- 
range for members to visit shut-ins and read for blind 






g>tattbinu Committee* anb QCfjeir JBHotfe 51 

people, also to arrange for services in homes, institu- 
tions, and prisons. 

Review Questions 

1. Name the standing committees. 

2. How are special committees appointed? 

3. What are some of the important duties of the 
Membership Committee? 

4. How can this committee help the visitor with 
special calls and new families in the parish? 

5. What is the duty of this committee with reference 
to securing Sunday-school attendance? 

6. How should a resignation be treated? 

7. What are the duties of the Social Committee? 

8. What are the duties of the Flower Committee in 
quarantine? In long illness? In hospital cases? 

9. How can the whole membership be made to help 
this committee? 

10. What is a Sunshine Box and how is it used? 

11. What are the duties of a Welfare Committee? 
With what other committees should this committee 
cooperate? 



IX 

Social anb Special 0ttaiioni 

No department derives greater benefit from social 
gatherings than the Home Department. The objec- 
tions so frequently made that the members of this 
department cannot be brought together because they 
are unable to attend Sunday school is not good reason- 
ing. The members of this department need to come 
together, perhaps more than those who have the oppor- 
tunity of frequent attendance on the Sunday school and 
church, and to be made to feel that they are not left 
out but belong to a warm-hearted church family. It 
will pay, even if special efforts have to be made to secure 
their attendance. 

One department, which had been unusually successful 
in securing members, was planning for its first recep- 
tion and social. A splendid program had been arranged 
and plans made for refreshments. A Reception and a 
Decorating Committee had been appointed and the 
council now met to send out the invitations. The 
superintendent asked the visitors what the outlook was 
for the attendance of their members. One visitor said 
she felt rather discouraged as there were little children 
in every home in her district, and, as both husband and 
wife were to be invited, there would be no one to care 
for the children; and yet wherever she had spoken of 

52 



Social anb Special ©ccasum* 53 

the reception, the members were all anxious to attend. 
Nearly all the visitors agreed that the same conditions 
prevailed in every district. How to make it possible 
for both husband and wife to attend was the question. 
It was finally decided to give, on the evening of the 
reception, two simple parties for younger girls and boys, 
in homes where there were no Home Department mem- 
bers, and to secure the service of older girls to care for 
children too small to attend these parties, two girls 
going to each home. Then plans were made to secure 
automobiles for those who would otherwise be unable 
to come. 

The Sunday-school room was fitted up as a home, 
with rugs on the floor, pictures on the walls, lamps and 
books on tables, and easy chairs for the old folks. The 
platform was arranged as part of a living room, and a 
grandfather's clock ticked merrily away and chimed 
the hour. 

The program included a twenty-minute informal re- 
ception. In the receiving line were the pastor, the 
Sunday-school superintendent, the Home Department 
superintendent, and a state worker. The Home De- 
partment visitors, dressed in white with Home Depart- 
ment badges and colored canes, were the ushers. Brief 
devotions were followed by the reports of the secretary 
and the treasurer. Then each visitor responded to the 
roll call with the statement of the work in her district. 
Instrumental and vocal solos, choir and orchestra selec- 
tions, readings, and a short sketch followed one another 
in quick succession. Then came the social hour and 



54 ®be ffiomt department 

refreshments. An old lady of eighty, who had been a 
Church member for seventy years, had not attended a 
church or social function outside her own home for ten 
years. She was carried from the automobile to a large, 
comfortable armchair, where she held court all evening. 
She laughed during the program until the tears rolled 
down her face, and smiled as she said that she wished 
that she were young enough to help this fine work 
along. "Why," she said, "this is like a big, happy 
family, and I'm so glad I belong." 

Some departments are able to arrange for social 
occasions every quarter, others twice a year. Local 
conditions must be taken into consideration, but the 
social side must not be neglected if the department is 
to be a success. 

Special Occasions 

As has already been stated, the department should 
have some definite part in every special program in the 
Sunday school. 

1. At a Christmas celebration, one department 
formed a tableau of the Holy Family in the stable, 
with a canvas background showing the animals. A 
real manger had been provided. The members took 
the part of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds. A 
real baby was in the manger, and by electric contri- 
vance the star shone on them from above. The Home 
Department was seated on one side of the platform a,nd 
sang softly "Silent Night, Holy Night." The climax 
was reached when the little baby stretched out its 
arms to the mother just as the curtain descended. 



Social anb Special ®aa&ian& 55 

2. At an Easter celebration, the dialogue between 
Mary and the risen Saviour was used, while the de- 
partment sang, "See the Place Where Jesus Lay." 
This must be done in a most reverential spirit if it is 
to be effective. 

3. At a Children's Day celebration, four Home De- 
partment mothers, dressed in white and wearing Home 
Department colors, formed an arch through which the 
tiny Cradle Roll babies passed as they came to the 
platform to be promoted to the Beginners Department. 
While the children were coming to the platform, the 
mothers recited together: 

"We bring you to-day our treasures, 
Each boy and each girl so fair; 
We ask you to help us guide their feet 
In life's true pathway and keep them sweet. 
We love our little darlings so, 
And ask that you will love them, too." 

4. On Rally Day, the Home Department should be 
prepared to give a report of work done and plans for the 
coming fall and winter. One department had on the 
Rally Day program this announcement: " Those We 
Are After." A mother with a little baby, an invalid in 
a wheel chair, a nurse, a doctor, a railway clerk, a 
grandmother with two little children, a policeman, a 
fireman, a telegraph operator, and others dressed to 
represent eighteen different characters, each carrying 
an open Bible, came to the platform while the choir 
sang, " Break Thou the Bread of Life, Dear Lord, to 



56 QTfje Home JBepartment 

Me." At the close of the hymn, a soldier and a sailor 
came forward and sang "Home, Sweet Home," while 
the whole audience joined softly in the chorus. 

5. Many departments now take charge of arrange- 
ments for the observance of Mother's Day or Parents' 
Day, and it seems that if any department in the church 
or school should be responsible for this service more 
than another, it is the Home Department. A good 
Home Department Council should be able to plan a 
service that would long be remembered. 

1. Special effort must be made to get the mothers 
to attend. 

2. Where there are little children, plans must be 
made to care for them during the service. 

3. Conveyances must be provided for the invalid 
and the aged and those living at a great distance. 

4. Care must be taken that the service shall be a 
cheerful, joyful tribute to mother love. 

5. The decorations should be carefully planned and 
a flower provided for each mother. 

6. The visitors, dressed in white, should act as 
ushers, seat the people, receive the offering, distribute 
programs or other material used, welcome strangers, 
and at the close of the service, each visitor should be 
assigned to some section of the church to introduce the 
members to one another. 

One department prepared the following simple but 
effective program, in which every department in the 
Sunday school shared: After the invocation, the hymn, 
"Sweet Hour of Prayer," was sung. The Beginners 



Social anb Special ©ccaa'ton* 57 

and Primary departments had twelve little boys and 
girls, all dressed in white, march to the platform. One 
little girl brought a basket filled with moss. Each 
child had a carnation with a wired stem. The little 
girl placed the basket on a stand in the center of the 
platform. Then, placing her own carnation in the 
basket, she recited : 



"We come, our tributes bringing, 
To one we love most dear, 
And gladly do we render 
Our happy homage here. 
In every country, every clime, 
In every tribe and nation, 
Mother, that's the sweetest name 
In all God's great creation." 



While the children were still on the platform, the 
Junior Department sang, " Mother, That Sweetest 
Name/' The congregation recited the Twenty-third 
Psalm, after which the Young People's Department 
sang, " Faith of Our Mothers, Holy Faith," using the 
word "mothers" in place of "fathers." Then followed 
the notices and offering and an anthem by the choir. 
The Adult Department had six men and six women 
come to the platform, who presented "The Testimony 
of the Ages." Each recited a beautiful tribute, which 
had been given by some prominent character in history. 
A wonderful message on "God's Gift to the World of 
Mother Love" followed. The service closed with 



58 ®be ©ome Bepartment 

" Jerusalem the Golden" and a fifteen-minute informal 
reception followed. 

Review Questions 

1. Why are social activities essential to a successful 
department? 

2. What are some of the important things that must 
be considered in planning for a Home Department 
social? 

3. How often should such functions be held? 

4. Should the department be satisfied with attending 
the special days in the Sunday school? 

5. How may we increase the attendance of our mem- 
bers on these special days? 

6. Name some special occasions when the department 
may share in the program with profit to both the de- 
partment and the school. 

7. Why should the department have charge of the 
preparations for Mother's Day? 

8. What should be the nature of the service? 

9. Who should share in the program? 

10. How should the fifteen minutes at the close of 
the service be used? 



Cooperating tottl) tfje gsmubap ikfjool 

The Home Department should be brought into the 
closest possible relationship with the Sunday school of 
which it is such a vital part. A place should be found 
for it as frequently as possible in the opening or closing 
worship of the school, and its membership should be 
included in the prayer every Sunday. The department 
itself can do much to keep the relationship fresh and 
interesting. 

1. A name roll should be hung in a prominent place 
in the main Sunday-school room, and the secretary of 
the department should be present at least once a 
quarter (once a month is better) to make such changes 
and additions as are necessary to keep the roll up to 
date. At such times she should be given a few moments 
to speak to the school. She should ask those pupils 
whose parents are not in the Sunday school or on the 
roll which she has just corrected to raise their hands, 
then urge them to secure these names for the Home 
Department. She should announce that she would be 
at the door with cards and literature. She should ask 
those who are not sure whether or not their parents are 
in the Home Department to see if they can find their 
names on the roll. 

In one school where such an invitation was given, a 

59 



60 W$t 5iome department 

crowd of children gathered around the roll, looking for 
the names of their friends and relatives. All at once 
a Junior exclaimed: " Hurrah! I've got five of my 
folks on. Can any of you beat that? My grandmother 
is on it, my two aunts, and my mother and father." 
Then a little Primary boy who had tried hard to get 
near the roll, asked this Junior to see if anyone in his 
house was on the roll. Sinclair was the name. The 
Junior pushed the other children to one side and called 
out the names beginning with "S." There were Smiths 
and Stouts and Stanleys, but there were no Sinclairs. 
When the little boy was assured that no Sinclair was 
on the roll, his eyes filled and his lips trembled as he 
said: "Gee, that ain't fair. You got five and I got 
none. But I'll get them before next Sunday and I'll 
ask Mrs. Best to put them on, so you can all see them 
next Sunday." That roll had won four new members. 

2. A quarterly report, carefully prepared, should be 
given by the superintendent at the Sunday-school ses- 
sion. The report should include transfers to main 
school, removals, deaths, additions, and the present 
membership. The financial report should also be pre- 
sented, giving the amount per capita by district and 
as a whole, also the number of visitors serving during 
the quarter. Then such items of interest should be 
given as will call the attention of the school to the 
work of this department. 

3. At all special occasions of the Sunday school, such 
as Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, Children's Day, 
Rally Day, a place should be reserved for members of 



Cooperating tottf) tfje ftmnbap gkfjool 61 

the Home Department. Some definite part in the pro- 
gram should be assigned, not a report or a statement, 
but some part that will awaken an interest and show 
the importance of the work. (See Ch. IX.) More 
Home Department members will attend if the depart- 
ment is known to have a special part in the program. 

4. Notices should be given from the Sunday-school 
desk of all meetings of the Home Department Council 
and of all the work planned. Items of interest should 
be prepared for the Sunday-school bulletin, church 
calendar, and monthlies, and also for pulpit notices. 

5. The superintendent and pastor should be invited 
to the Home Department Council meetings, and, at 
intervals, invited to address the workers on "How 
Better to Serve the Church and the Sunday School." 

6. An occasional contest should be encouraged be- 
tween this department and some department in the 
main school, each side to secure new members for all 
departments of the school. 

7. There should be the closest cooperation between 
this department and the Cradle Roll. In a Baptist 
church in Camden, New Jersey, the Cradle Roll hangs 
on one side of a panel, the Home Department Roll on 
the other side, and on the panel itself, the state cer- 
tificate that the Home Department is a standard de- 
partment. 

Under the standard hangs a beautifully framed 
motto reading, "Every baby's mother in the Home 
Department and every mother's baby on the Cradle 
Roll. We are coworkers together." 



62 Wje Home department 

The Home Department visitor should be on con- 
stant lookout for Cradle Roll members, and the Cradle 
Roll worker for Home Department members. The 
Cradle Roll superintendent should be a member of the 
Home Department Council. 

8. In some of the social activities of the Home De- 
partment the Cradle Roll, Beginners, Primary, and their 
mothers, should be included. 

A Presbyterian church in New Jersey had planned 
a lawn reception and social for the Home Department 
including the Cradle Roll. Careful preparations were 
made and the weather was all that could be desired; 
yet many of those invited did not appear. The super- 
intendent, in calling at one home, discovered the reason. 
"How could I attend?" said the mother. "The baby 
was the only one besides myself who was invited. I 
have three other young children, and no one to leave 
them with, so of course I had to stay home, although 
I wanted to come." The next year the Cradle Roll, 
Beginners, and Primary children were invited. The 
Home Department visitors were assisted by the girls 
of the Intermediate Department in caring for the little 
ones. 

9. At least one social function a year should be held 
by the department, when the officers and the teachers 
of the church and school should be the guests of the 
Home Department members. This will encourage the 
spirit of fellowship and cooperation. 

10. There should be a Home Department Class in 
the Sunday school, where the visitors and members 



CoBperatmg tottf) tfje Smnbap g>djool 63 

may come when they are able to attend. Such a class 
will stimulate the interest of the Home Department 
members in the school and frequently be the means of 
winning them to regular attendance. It is a good plan 
to have a visitor in charge of this class and to have the 
members of the department invited by the various visit- 
ors to attend. In one Sunday school which organized 
such a class the Home Department Class soon became 
the largest adult class in the school. 

11. Where there is a " Messenger Service" in the 
school, visitors may seek the cooperation of this organi- 
zation in the distribution of library books, Sunday- 
school papers, church bulletins, calendars, and month- 
lies, on Sunday, and in the sending out of special mes- 
sages through the week; but under no consideration 
must this interfere with the regular work of the visitors. 
It is the personal touch of an experienced Christian 
worker which is the most powerful factor in Home De- 
partment work and some of the departments have lost 
out by delegating their work to inexperienced youths. 

12. The greatest difficulty in our organized Sunday- 
school work is the lack of cooperation in the home. 
To this may be traced the reason for much of our failure. 

The figures given at the International Sunday School 
Convention at Buffalo in June, 1918, were to the effect 
that seven out of ten pass from the Sunday school 
without becoming Church members. If we consider 
that from seventy to eighty per cent of all additions to 
our Protestant churches come from the Sunday school, 
we realize what a serious problem this is. After making 



64 Wbt l^ome Bepartment 

a survey in representative schools, in large cities, small 
cities, suburbs, and country communities, and holding 
conferences with superintendents and Sunday-school 
field workers, we learned that large numbers of teach- 
ers are so placed that they are never able to visit the 
homes of their pupils. One superintendent was asked 
why he did not require, as one of the conditions for 
becoming a teacher in his school, that the teacher must 
visit every pupil at least once a year. He replied that 
if that were made a requirement, he would lose half of 
his teaching force. Another replied that he would lose 
nearly all of his, not for want of interest alone, but fre- 
quently because of conditions which make it impossible 
for the teacher to visit. Another superintendent was 
asked if any of his teachers visited the homes more 
than four times a year. His only answer was a shake 
of the head and a smile. 

Here is the Home Department's great opportunity. 
It is a department whose chief duty is home visitation 
and the school is suffering for lack of cooperation in 
the home. The chief duty of the visitor is to make 
four regular, personal calls each year in the homes com- 
mitted to her care, and there are so many reasons why 
extra calls are necessary that this number is frequently 
doubled, so that the visitor comes in contact with a 
home from four to eight times each year. 

A teacher of girls had been working hard with her 
class, praying and hoping that they would all be pre- 
pared to take their stand for Christ on Decision Day. 
Great was her disappointment when not one of her 



Cooperating tottf) tfje gmnbap g>cf)ool 65 

class signed the card or rose when the invitation was 
given. 

"Have you ever visited these girls in their homes?" 
asked a friend to whom the teacher mentioned her deci- 
sion to give up the class. "No, I cannot do so/' she 
answered. " I work till six o'clock every week day. My 
mother is an invalid, and I must do all the housework 
I can, mornings and evenings, to help her. On Sunday 
mornings I take her to church in her wheel chair, Sun- 
day afternoons I am in Sunday school, and I feel that 
I owe my Sunday evenings to my mother. I simply 
cannot find the time to visit the girls in their homes, 
and much as I love them, I fear I must give them up." 

At the friend's suggestion the teacher made inquiry 
and learned that a Home Department had been or- 
ganized in the school some six months before. It was 
found that the homes represented in the class were 
divided between four Home Department visitors. They 
had already been calling several times in the homes, and 
were just then preparing for their regular quarterly visit. 
The teacher's difficulty was explained to the Home De- 
partment visitors, who were asked to help interest the 
parents in what the teacher was trying to do for the 
girls. The story of the teacher, and of her disappoint- 
ment, was told in every home of the class. In each case 
the mother's attitude was definitely changed. In place 
of the life-killing indifference which was found in nearly 
every home, the visitor left behind a warm appreciation 
and a better understanding of the aims of the Sunday 
school. As a result, on Easter Sunday seven out of that 
5 



66 TOje Home department 

class of eleven joined the Church, also three mothers 
and one father. 

Review Questions 

1. Where and how should the Home Department 
Roll be kept? 

2. How often should the Home Department report 
be given in the Sunday school and what should the 
report include? 

3. What arrangements should the school make for 
the Home Department members on special days? 

4. How can the Home Department cooperate with 
the Cradle Roll? 

5. How can the Home Department cooperate with 
the other departments? 

6. How can the visitor cooperate with the teacher 
in the regular home visitation? 

7. How can the department cooperate in the social 
life of the school? 

8. How can the department cooperate with the 
school in the preparations for Decision Day? 

9. How can the department cooperate with the Mes- 
senger Service? 

10. What can be accomplished by a Home Depart- 
ment Class in the school? 



XI 

Jfamilp OTorjetfnp anb &e£pons!tble CJjrtettau 
$arentf)oob 

Family Worship 

No part of our work is more essential or gives more 
blessed results than that in the interest of family wor- 
ship. It is hardly necessary to speak of the great need, 
for it is universally recognized. The home with the 
family altar is the foundation stone of a Christian 
world. Let this fail, and no amount of organized 
activities or secular education can stem the tide of 
desolation that will follow. Give it an important place 
in the life of the Church, in the pulpit, in the Sunday 
school, in conferences, in printed material, in conse- 
crated leadership, and the home will respond and do 
its full share in bringing the Church gloriously through 
the coming years. 

The family altar is not only a benefit to the children 
and youth in the home, and a guiding star through life, 
but it is the greatest stimulant to consecrated living on 
the part of the parent. One may bluff before friends 
and business associates, but he cannot bluff before 
the clear eyes of the children around him when he 
opens the Bible or lifts his voice in prayer. He must 
live as he prays, and be loving, kind, patient, and fair 
in all his dealings. 

67 



68 TOje Home department 

The Great War has revealed the great comfort and 
shield in temptation many a boy found in the knowledge 
that his folks at home were praying for him daily. One 
boy told how he nearly lost his foothold twice, but 
each time the consciousness that they were praying 
for him at home held him back. "It certainly was 
strange," he said, "how near they seemed to me when 
I needed them most." 

1. No visitor must consider her work complete as 
long as there are in her district homes without family 
altars. If she feels that she cannot speak to her mem- 
bers on the subject, she should bring with her some 
of the small leaflets dealing with this subject and leave 
them with the members. (These leaflets may be se- 
cured from almost every denominational house at very 
small cost.) When she makes her next call, she should 
ask if the leaflets have been read and thus lead the 
conversation to the subject. The visitor should also 
be prepared with a knowledge of the best books and 
the most helpful material on the subject, so that at 
the slightest evidence of interest on the part of the 
family she might be prepared to be of help. 

2. At least once a year the Home Department Council 
should issue a circular letter, setting forth the need 
and the great blessing of family worship, to be sent 
to all the homes in the church and parish. 

3. Once every six months the department should 
plan with the pastor for a special service, when such 
subjects as "The Home Altar," "Religion in the 
Home," "Foundation of a Christian Nation," "God's 



Jfamilp KHorafjip 69 



Covenant with the Home/' should be discussed. At 
such times the visitor should use every effort to have 
the members attend. Cards should be distributed at 
the service and all present should be encouraged to 
pledge themselves to observe family worship. 

4. The visitors themselves should study the subject 
at the quarterly meetings, so as to prepare themselves 
in every possible way to help the home. The question 
is often asked in conferences, "If the visitor herself 
does not observe family worship, how can she encourage 
others to do so?" This is one of the reasons why the 
department has not been more successful with Grade A, 
but to such a visitor we would say: "Pray earnestly 
that God will give you wisdom and courage to do that 
which you know will bring blessing on you and yours. 
Under no circumstances, however, must you neglect to 
distribute the material and invite your members to 
such special occasions as are planned in the interests 
of this important part of our work. Your members 
must be helped; the homes in your district must be 
reached; this is your duty; do not fail to do it." 

Responsible Christian Parenthood 

It is an amazing fact that few Christian parents 
accept the responsibility of leading their own children 
to a definite decision for Christ. They seem willing, 
and even anxious, to place this sacred duty on some 
outside person or organization, and yet by so doing 
they are losing for themselves the tenderness and rever- 
ence in which the child holds the person who leads 



70 QWje J^ome Bepartment 

him to make his first decision for Christ. This not 
only injures the home in that it robs the parents of an 
experience which binds father and son, mother and 
daughter, closer than anything else can, but it also 
robs them of the crown of joy which rightly belongs to 
them and the consciousness that they can one day 
answer, " Behold, I and the children whom God hath 
given me." 

The Christian Church feels that this sacred duty 
should be carefully considered and the parents brought 
to see their responsibility. Yet little teaching or help 
is given the parents either in pulpit or in the religious 
press. The Home Department, therefore, has a won- 
derful opportunity to give the parents valuable help, 
and, because of its close contact with the home, it is in 
a position to understand the need better than any other 
department. 

1. The Home Department Council should study the 
local conditions; material which would be helpful to 
the home; free literature which the department could 
provide for distribution; and how to approach the 
home on this subject. 

2. The visitor should call attention to special articles 
in the Quarterly, distribute the free material, and when 
opportunity offers, speak of the joy of leading one's 
own children to Christ. The visitor should also use 
special effort to secure the attendance of members at 
such special services as are arranged in the interest of 
this important subject. 

3. The Home Department Council should offer to 



Jfamilp ©fitorsfjip 71 



help the Sunday school in preparations for Decision 
Day. The Home Department workers should present 
the plan of the school in the home and urge the coop- 
eration of the parents and their attendance at the 
Sunday-school session on Decision Day, so that they 
may be present to give their consent and also to lend 
their influence on this important occasion. 

4. It is a wise plan for the Sunday-school superin- 
tendent to call a joint meeting of the Home Depart- 
ment visitors and the Sunday-school teachers for con- 
ference. As a rule the visitor knows the parents inti- 
mately and should therefore be of great assistance to 
the teacher. The visitor has to make her quarterly 
call after the last Sunday in March, and this fact 
should be taken advantage of by the school. Even 
where the teacher is able to call in the home, the 
teacher should seek the cooperation of the visitor, and 
where the teacher is unable to visit in the home, the 
visitor should make special effort on behalf of the 
teacher and the school. 

One pastor decided that never again would he call 
on children to take a stand for Christ without the 
presence of the parents. He planned to have all the 
parents not already in the Sunday school come at a 
certain hour, and he assigned the work of securing 
their presence as the Home Department's part of the 
day's work. The Beginners and Primary departments 
were dismissed and the rest of the school marched into 
the church auditorium. The parents took seats with 
their own children, and it was a beautiful sight to see 



72 ®tje ©ome ©epartment 

parents, teachers, and Home Department visitors all 
working together for the salvation of the children. 
The results were beyond all expectation and far more 
satisfactory than under any previous plan. 

Four girls in New Jersey were apparently ready to 
take a stand for Christ, but they seemed to lose inter- 
est when they were urged to make their decision at 
home. The teacher did not feel that she had the right 
to rob the parents of the joy of leading these girls to 
Christ, and while she believed that each girl would 
gladly have taken the stand alone with her after the 
class, she decided to visit each home and urge the parents 
to help their own daughter. But the mothers confessed 
that they did not know how to approach this subject 
and would rather have the teacher deal with the girls 
herself. 

In one home the teacher urged that the girl be called 
in so that together they might lead her to make her 
decision, "for," she said, "if God asks you, ' Where is 
Nellie? 7 I want you to be able to answer, 'I led her 
to make her decision in my own home/ You would not 
want some one else to have your crown of rejoicing, 
because you had not dealt fairly with your child." 
When Nellie was called, and asked if she did not want 
to take her stand for Jesus, she answered: "I have 
been so unhappy about it. I could not speak to mother 
because I did not think she cared, or would perhaps 
think I was too young." "Go, tell your mother then," 
said the teacher, and Nellie, walking over to where her 
mother was sitting, looked up into her face and said, 



Jfamilp iBorsijtp 73 



"I want to take my stand with Jesus, mother, if you 
don't mind." The mother folded her in her arms, and 
they knelt together in prayer. God had been exalted 
in that home. 

Review Questions 

1. Why is f amity worship considered the corner stone 
of a Christian nation? 

2. How does family w r orship benefit the home, the 
Sunday school, the Church, the nation? 

3. Where should family worship be emphasized and 
given first place? 

4. How may the Home Department Council best fit 
itself to help the home? 

5. How may the visitor overcome the difficulty of 
leading the conversation to this subject? 

6. What special service should the council plan for 
in the interest of this important work? 

7. What special material should reach the home 
through the year? 

8. With what special material should the visitor be 
acquainted? 

9. What can be done for a district whose visitor does 
not observe family worship? 

10. Why should Christian parents be urged to lead 
their own children to Christ? 

11. What does the home lose by giving this privilege 
to some one outside the home? 

12. How can the council help to awaken a responsible 
Christian parenthood? 

13. Name four things the Home Department can do. 

14. How may the department help the home before 
Decision Day? 



XII 

Wt)t J^ome department anD tije ^eacijtng of 
g>etf=Hnotolebge 

If the Home Department is to figure largely in the 
community life of the future, the moral question con- 
cerning the home must find a large place in its program. 
The Great War has brought to light some conditions 
of which the nation cannot be proud. One of the most 
important of these conditions was the ignorance on the 
part of young men regarding personal purity and a 
corresponding ignorance on the part of young women 
of the fundamental truths of purity and parenthood. 

The Home Department has a wonderful opportunity 
for helping the home in this respect, but preparation is 
necessary if the work is to be successfully undertaken. 

1. The Home Department Council should study the 
problem from every angle, moral, religious, and civic, 
so as to grow familiar with the need, the method of 
approach, and how to use the subject helpfully in 
conversation. 

2. A committee should be appointed to secure pam- 
phlets and booklets, carefully examine the same, and 
recommend such as the council could use for free dis- 
tribution. The superintendent with an appointed 
committee should decide what material should be placed 
in the individual home. 

3. A small library of books, carefully selected, should 

74 



{EeacJjmg of ^>elf=3fcnatolebge 75 

be the aim of each department. These books should be 
lent to the members and kept in constant circulation. 

4. When sufficient interest has been awakened, a 
"Mothers' Meeting" or a "Parents' Class" should be 
organized. 

In one Home Department where this plan was used 
a visitor lent a booklet on home-making to a young 
married woman who had not been able to learn much 
about housework or home-keeping. There were already 
signs that her home was not a success. The book 
aroused interest. As a result, the girl and her young 
husband began taking long walks in the evenings. The 
little garden in front of their tiny house began to re- 
ceive attention. Where it had seemed that they were 
about to make shipwreck of their married life, they 
now began to study the wonder and beauty of parent- 
hood and to prepare themselves to make and keep 
their home sweet and beautiful. They were continually 
asking for books and, after the baby was born, the 
young mother suggested that a "Mothers' Circle" be 
formed by the department, as she knew other young 
mothers who needed just such help as she had received. 

Every department should aim for a "Mothers' 
Meeting" in connection with its organized work. Many 
parents have little time to devote either to reading or 
to attending lectures. By environment and education 
they feel themselves unfitted for the task of teaching 
the fundamental truths of life and purity, and yet it is 
evident that many of them are anxious for help. This 
is a distinct challenge to the department and no more 



76 Cfje f?ome department 

important work could be undertaken. Some depart- 
ments have tried and failed because of the technical 
courses adopted. The mothers have neither the time 
nor the inclination for these things. The work should 
be started in the simplest way possible. 

One department which has had great success used 
the following simple plan : The meeting was held on 
a Thursday afternoon, once a month. There were no 
dues. A box was placed on the table into which each 
member was privileged to put questions without sig- 
nature, also any contribution. A Prudential Commit- 
tee of four members, guided largely by the questions 
in the box, decided on the subject to be discussed at 
each meeting. A Reception Committee greeted each 
mother as she arrived, introduced her to others, and 
gave her a clipping on "Work of Women the World 
Over/' These clippings were read in response to names 
at roll call and helped much in breaking up any stiff- 
ness or formality. The mothers were also encouraged 
to prepare papers, the Prudential Committee furnishing 
helps on the subjects assigned. For nearly a year no 
outside speaker was invited and the interest increased 
continually. Some of the subjects ably handled by the 
mothers and directly suggested by the questions in the 
box were as follows: "Public School Morals and My 
Boy"; "Who Is Responsible for the Religious Training 
of My Child?"; "What Shall I Tell My Child?"; 
"Confidence Between Mother and Daughter"; "From 
Birth to Marriage " ; "Prenatal Influences"; "Punish- 
ment That Educates"; "How to Secure Obedience." 



®earf)ing of g>etf=llnotolebge 77 

Once each quarter the meeting was held in the even- 
ing and the fathers invited; on such occasions one or 
two short talks were given by the men. Some of the 
topics discussed by them were: " Knowing My John"; 
"In My Footsteps"; "A Chip Off the Old Block"; 
"The Moral and Religious Responsibility of the 
Father"; "Punishment, Good and Bad." 

Such a meeting may be carried on by any Home 
Department and will prove of inestimable value. 

Review Questions 

1. Why is ignorance on moral subjects to be feared? 

2. Who should teach the truths of life and purity? 

3. How may the Home Department prepare itself to 
be of help to the home on this subject? 

4. How should the material for use by the depart- 
ment be selected? 

5. Who should decide what material is best fitted 
for use in the individual home? 

6. How may a "Mothers' Meeting" be conducted by 
the department? 

7. What should be the nature of this meeting? 

8. How may the mothers be helped to express them- 
selves at this meeting? 

9. What is a good way of breaking up formality and 
helping everyone to take some part? 

10. Name some subjects for discussion by mothers.' 

11. When should the fathers be invited to attend? 

12. Suggest some fitting subjects for discussion by 
fathers. 

13. Should there be membership dues? 

14. How may a good attendance at this meeting be 
secured? 



XIII 

(group 8Hotfe 

Correspondence Group 

A visitor should be appointed to have charge of all 
those who move from the community. The material 
is sent and reports are received by mail; letters take 
the place of visits. 

Workers' Group 

The chief engineer in a pumping station had joined 
the Home Department, and several months later joined 
the Church. "Now," said the Home Department 
superintendent/ "what about the other men at the 
works? Can't you help get them interested?" 

Some time later the superintendent visited the sta- 
tion. The chief engineer opened a drawer and showed 
five quarterlies, representing five men who studied their 
lessons in spare time. The noise seemed deafening, but 
the engineer said that the men were so used to it that 
they could discuss their lessons without difficulty, and 
also have prayer with their visitor. 

Old Ladies' Home Group 

A visitor who spent one afternoon each quarter with 

a group of fifty-seven old ladies made the following 

report: "The matron permits me to have them come 

together for a little meeting. We read, have a word of 

78 



<&roup Uorfe 79 



prayer, and then they are asked to call for their favorite 
hymns. I wish you could hear those quivering voices 
sing the old familiar tunes, and see the looks on their 
faces as the singing brings back memories of other days. 
Then we exchange experiences with reference to the 
lesson study. I send them birthday cards, and an 
occasional letter to be read to the whole class, and try 
to keep in touch with thenrduring the quarter." 

A Penitentiary Group 

The visitor of a group in the women's section of the 
Eastern Penitentiary in Philadelphia reports: 

"I telephoned the warden beforehand and asked 
for the privilege of holding a meeting with the inmates. 
Then I invited a prominent woman speaker, my own 
superintendent, and another visitor. When we arrived, 
the matron went along the corridor on one side, and I 
on the other, inviting the women to the assembly room. 
The cell doors were opened and they all came. 

"You should have heard them sing! Some of them 
wiped their eyes as familiar hymns were sung. I then 
told them of letters which I had received from those 
who had left the prison and were now living useful 
lives. I asked how many would be leaving before my 
next visit, and told them to give me their addresses 
so that I could correspond with them. Then we dis- 
tributed the quarterlies and the reports for the lessons 
studied were given. 

" After the meeting, by special permission from the 
matron, all four of us engaged in personal conversation 



80 TOfje ©ome department 

with the prisoners. We visited every cell and examined 
the handwork which they had made and were offering 
for sale. The cells are all immaculately clean and the 
inmates try to make them homelike. One Italian 
mother was there with her little baby, and we secured 
the baby's name for the Cradle Roll." 

Group Work -with Foreigners 

One of the greatest of America's tasks is the assimi- 
lation of her vast foreign-speaking population. There 
are millions of adults in America who can neither read 
nor write the English language, who know little or 
nothing of the law of the land or its history, who are 
not in sympathy with the Government and its insti- 
tutions, and who, therefore, fall an easy prey to the 
enemies of law and order. The press is the most im- 
portant medium for the dissemination of knowledge 
both good and bad. The socialist, the anarchist, the 
Bolshevist, and all enemies of organized government 
are making ample use of the press, in papers, period- 
icals, pamphlets, and even volumes, setting forth their 
views. They have flooded the foreign population with 
free literature on all subjects. 

It is a mistaken idea that these people are not eager 
to learn. If they cannot read, they frequently will 
gather together to have a new tract or pamphlet, 
which has been left at their door, read to them. 

If we believe that the teaching of the Bible is the 
solution of the problems confronting any nation, we 
surely should be concerned that the Word of God be 



(group Wovk 81 



placed in the homes of these people in the language 
which they can understand, and that weekly and 
monthly publications containing material on moral 
and social uplift be provided, so that they shall come 
to love the land of their adoption, appreciate its heritage 
and its institutions, understand its laws, and thus be- 
come good American citizens. The Christian Church 
must remember that these are the parents of millions 
of coming Americans, that if this nation is to be a 
Christian nation, these people must be reached. 

The Home Department can help much in this work. 
Material has been provided in many languages, and 
gospels and tracts may be had in every tongue. With 
organization and material at hand, there is no excuse 
why these people should not be reached and linked up 
with the Christian Church. 

One Home Department visitor, who has a group 
representing five different languages, reports: 

"I do not always get a report, and yet I consider 
the work well worth while. Recently I was invited to 
the home of one of my Italian members, where they 
were having a birthday party. Two of the little chil- 
dren had been attending our vacation school. While 
I could not speak to them in their own language, I 
had seen the children at the school, and, knowing the 
mother well, I managed somehow to get acquainted 
with the rest of the party. Just before I was ready to 
leave, the little girls asked me if I would sing one of 
the school songs with them. We then sang several 
evangelistic hymns and I taught them the chorus of 
6 



82 tKlje 5?ome department 

one of the songs. Just before I left, the mother (my 
own member) asked me to bring several papers next 
time as some of the women present wanted to join my 
group. I also bring them papers in their own language, 
which our church provides." 

Review Questions 

1. Is the department work confined to the individual 
home? 

2. How is a correspondence group conducted? 

3. Who may be members of such a group? 

4. Name some other places where group work may 
be carried on. 

5. What can the Sunday school do for the foreign- 
speaking peoples in our country? 

6. What can the religious press do? 

7. What materials are available for the Home De- 
partment's use? 



XIV 

Btetrict, Countp, gbtate, anb Suteruattonal 

The Home Department to do its most effective work 
must have a complete field organization, beginning 
with the district. The district superintendent, usually 
elected at the district convention but in some of the 
states appointed by the county superintendent, is an 
indispensable part of a successful county organiza- 
tion. The district superintendent should call together 
the superintendents, officers, and visitors of all the 
Home Departments in the district for organization. 
A secretary and a treasurer should be elected and a 
Devotional Committee, a Program Committee, and a 
Social Committee appointed. The meetings should be 
held at least semi-annually, and should be in the nature 
of a conference or a demonstration. Each department 
should be asked to contribute a stated sum for the 
expense of speakers, postage, and stationery. 

4 

Duties »of the ^District Superintendent 

1. To keep in close touch with the county superin- 
tendent. 

2. To distribute any material which the county is 
sending to the schools in a district. 

3. To visit every school where there is no Home 

83 



84 tKfje $?ome department 

Department and try to secure time to speak at a school 
session. If this fails, to try to find some key person in 
that school and work through him. (It is a good plan 
for the district superintendent to appoint several com- 
mittees, consisting of two members each. Assign one 
school to each committee for visitation, and have the 
reports at the district meeting.) 

4. To take special interest in all the departments 
and encourage them to reach the state standard. 

5. To plan with the Program Committee for the dis- 
trict rally, and make special effort to secure representa- 
tives from schools having no departments to attend the 
rally. 

6. To gather the statistical reports from every de- 
partment in the district and see that they reach the 
county superintendent on time. 

7. To give a report at the annual meeting of dis- 
trict superintendents. (This meeting should be held 
in connection with the county convention.) 

The county superintendent is elected by the county 
convention and is a member of the county Executive 
Committee. 

Duties of the County Superintendent 

1. To appoint the district superintendents, where 
these are not elected by the district conventions. 

2. To meet with the district superintendents as soon 
as possible after the county convention and plan with 
them the work for the coming year. 

3. To hold an extra meeting with these workers to- 



Jftelb <©rgam?attott 85 

ward the close of the year to plan for the annual county 
convention. 

4. To see that the statistical report blanks reach the 
district superintendents on time. 

5. To plan especially for cooperation of the district 
superintendents at spring conferences and county con- 
ventions, and to assign some definite work, such as: 

(a.) Securing delegates from indifferent schools. 
(6.) Coming prepared to answer a definite difficult 

question, 
(c.) Coming prepared to tell of some especially suc- 
cessful work, 
(d.) Coming prepared to give an outline of a district 
organization, and having several of the district 
superintendents prepared to take part in dis- 
cussion. 

6. To address public meetings and Sunday-school 
board meetings as opportunities may offer, and in 
every way to further the interest of the department. 

The state superintendent is usually elected by the 
state Executive Committee and is chairman of the 
state Home Department Committee. 

Duties of the State Superintendent 

1. To attend all state Executive Committee meetings. 

2. To preside at the meetings of the state Home 
Department Committee. In states where the super- 
intendent is not chairman of this committee, the 
superintendent should attend the meetings and pre- 
sent plans for the work. 



86 Wdt ^ome department 

3. To keep in close touch with the county superin- 
tendents, to furnish them with definite aims for the 
year's work, to call attention to special opportunities, 
to help plan the spring institutes, and to see that the 
statistical blanks reach them on time. 

4. To furnish material for the Home Department 
column of the state paper. 

5. To plan with the committee for the state con- 
vention conferences, to secure speakers, and to see 
that this department is given every opportunity to 
have its work presented at this important yearly 
gathering. 

6. To plan for conferences in each county during the 
year; to attend as many as possible or to see that the 
Home Department Committee is represented. 

7. To attend all county conventions or delegate some 
member of the Home Department Committee to repre- 
sent the state. 

8. To pray, to plan, to work, for the interest of the 
department. 

Plan of Organization 

The Home Department is now part of the Adult 
Division. The following recommendations were adopted 
at the Home Department conference of the Interna- 
tional Convention in June, 1918, at Buffalo: 

1. That the Home Department maintain its auton- 
omy of organization, both in the Sunday-school associ- 
ation and in the local Sunday school. 

2. That there be an international, state, county, dis- 
trict, and local superintendent. 



Jfielb ©tBantjation 87 

The following plan of organization has been adopted 
by the International Home Department Committee : 

1. That a Home Department superintendent be 
elected in every state and province. 

2. That a Home Department Committee be ap- 
pointed in each state and province, who, together with 
the superintendent, shall plan for and help promote 
the work. 

3. That each state and province be districted, and a 
member of said committee be assigned to each district, 
as a state or a provincial representative, to consult 
with the workers and help promote the work in his 
district. 

4. That the state and provincial Home Department 
Committee be represented through its members at 
each county convention and as many institutes as pos- 
sible, to help in the conferences and to present the 
work if so requested. 

5. That special effort be made by this committee 
to secure time at the state and provincial conventions, 
county conventions and institutes, for the presentation 
of the Home Department work on the general conven- 
tion program, and that at least one full-session separate 
conference be held. 

6. That a standard for Home Department work be 
adopfed in each state and province, to stimulate 
definite activities, and to unify efforts for higher attain- 
ments in the work. 

The International Committee of Home Department 
work is a committee of the Adult Division. The chair- 



88 Wfyt S?ome department 

man of this committee is elected by the International 
Executive Committee, and the members of the com- 
mittee are appointed by the chairman, subject to the 
approval of the Executive Committee. This committee 
carries on the work of the department in the inter- 
national field, in shaping its policies, presenting plans 
of organization and work, cooperating with organiza- 
tions similarly interested, and in unifying and stimulat- 
ing the work throughout the entire field. 

Review Questions 

1. How is the district superintendent secured? 

2. Give an outline of a district organization. 

3. How frequently should this organization meet and 
what should be the nature of the meeting? 

4. What are some of the important duties of a dis- 
trict superintendent? 

5. How is the county superintendent elected? 

6. What special meetings should the county super- 
intendent hold with the district superintendent? 

7. How should plans be prepared for spring confer- 
ences and county conventions? 

8. Give some further duties of the county superin- 
tendent. 

9. How is the state superintendent elected? 

10. What recommendations were adopted at Buffalo 
regarding the Home Department? 

11. Give an outline of the plan of organization 
adopted by the International Committee. 

12. How is the International Committee constituted, 
and what is its work? 



XV 
gbtate ibtanbar&g 

The object of a standard is to produce special effort 
to reach a higher place of achievement than that al- 
ready attained. The chief object of having a stan- 
dard for Home Department work is to stimulate 
definite activities and to unify the effort for higher 
attainment. All too often the work is done in a hap- 
hazard way, and in many instances the department 
receives little or no support from the school of which 
it should be a vital part. Many departments, which 
barely held their own before a standard was adopted, 
were quickened by the effort to attain the requirements 
of the standard. 

The following are some of the standards adopted by 
various states: 

New Jersey 

1. Regularly appointed or elected superintendent 
and visitor. 

2. A quarterly meeting of the workers for business 
and conference. 

3. Systematic effort for new members throughout 
the year. 

4. Ministration to members in illness or distress. 

5. At least one social function a year for the mem- 
bers. 

89 



90 tmjje J&omt department 

6. An annual Home Department Day in Sunday 
school or church. 

7. Members invited to all special services of the 
Sunday school and church. 

8. Membership roll on the wall of the Sunday school. 

Ohio 

1. A Home Department superintendent (and visitors 
if needed). 

2. Systematic effort for new members. 

3. Home Department Roll on the wall (containing 
names of the Home Department members). 

4. Home Department card index or book containing 
names, residences, and other necessary information. 

5. Members welcomed as visitors in Sunday school. 

6. Removals registered. 

7. Members remembered in sickness or in case of 
trouble. 

8. An annual Home Department Day. 

9. An occasional social affair for members. 

10. Members invited to Special Day services. 

11. Helpful literature sent to members. 

12. Effort made to establish family altar. 

Ontario, Canada 
1. Organization. 

(a.) A superintendent, and visitors if needed. 
(6.) An annual report to the township, county, or 
city Sunday-school association. 



g>tate g>tanbarbsf 91 



2. Records. 

(a.) Card index or address book, with removals and 
other changes registered. 

(6.) Records kept of lessons studied and of contri- 
butions. 

3. Honor Roll. 

An " Honor Roll" for perfect work in keeping of 
membership obligations, reported to the members quar- 
terly. 

4. Reports. 

Home Department work reported to the main 
school quarterly. 

5. Members Visited. 

(a.) Each member visited at least quarterly. 
(b.) Lesson helps and other helpful literature sup- 
plied to members, 
(c.) Remembered in sickness or trouble. 

6. Special Days. 

(a.) A "Home Department Day "or similar recog- 
nition in the school. 
(6.) An occasional social effort. 

7. Annual Canvass. 

Systematic annual canvass for new members. 

8. Church Membership. 

At least forty per cent of the resident Church 
members who are not in the Sunday school enrolled in 
the Home Department, in addition to the non-Church 
members. 



92 ®Jje 2£ome department 

9. Membership Gradation. 

At least fifty per cent of the homes represented 
registered under Grade A. 

10. Family Worship Aim. 

A Grade A member in each of at least twenty-five 
per cent of the homes of the congregation, members 
and adherents. 

Illinois 

1. Membership. 

(a.) At least seventy-five per cent of the member- 
ship studying and reporting study of some 
lessons. 

(6.) At least fifty per cent making some contribu- 
tion of money. 

(c.) At least twenty-five per cent enrolling under 
Grade A. 

2. Service. 

(a.) By school. 

(l)^Home Department membership roll on the 

wall. 
(2) Annual Home Department Day and Home 
Department members invited to Special Day 
services. 
(6.) By Home Department workers. 

(1) Secretarial record (on card index or book) of 
members. 

(2) Home Department quarterly report read in 
school session each quarter. 



g>tate g>tanbarb* 93 



(3) Conference on work at least quarterly, by 

superintendent and visitors. 

(4) Resident members visited at least quarterly 
and new members sought for. 

(5) Occasional socials for members. 

Review Questions 

1. What is the object of having a standard? 

2. What difficulties will a Home Department stan- 
dard help to overcome? 

3. How does a standard help indifferent departments? 

4. Name some things a standard should contain. 

5. From your study of the standards in this chapter, 
make your own outline of a model standard. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Books of Method 
Home Classes and the Home Department of the Sunday 
School. Hazard. 

Home Department Blue Book. Meigs. 

Home Department Workers. Fergusson. 

The Home Department of To-Day. Stebbins. 

The Home Department How Book. Meacham and DePew. 

Books on Religious Training in the Home 

An Old-Fashioned Home. Chapman. 

Religious Education in the Family. Cope. 

Bible Reading and Religious Training in the Home. Veach. 

Pleasant Sunday Afternoons for the Children. Faris. 

Religious Training in the School and Home. Sneath, Hodges, 
and Tweedy. 

Mothers and Children. Fisher. 

Religion in the Home (pamphlet) . Presbyterian Board of Publi - 
cation and Sabbath School Work. 

The School in the Home. Hillis. 

Mothers and Sons. Lyttleton. 

The Making of Character. MacCunn. 

Books on Parenthood 
We and Our Children. Hutchinson. 
The Kallikak Family. Goddard. 
The Right of the Child to Be Well Born. Dawson. 
The Mothercraft Manual. Read. 
Self -Training for Motherhood. Love joy. 

94 



UStbliograpfjp 95 



Books on Family Worship 

Day After Day. Chapman. 

When Home Is Heaven. Chapman. 

A Book of Family Worship. (Presb3 T terian Board of Publica- 
tion and Sabbath School Work.) 

Children's Devotions. Verkuyl. 

Bits of Pasture. Miller. 

Home Making. Miller. 

Weekday Religion. Miller. 

Family Prayer. Miller. 

Leaflets published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication 
and Sabbath School Work: 

Religion in the Home. 

Building the Family Altar. 

The Use of Family Prayer. 

Christ and the Homes of America. 

Home Training and Christianity. 

Books on Self-Knowledge 

The American Child. McCracken. 

Moral Instruction of Children. Adler. 

As the Twig Is Bent. Chenery. 

The Boy Problem in the Home. Forbush. 

Child Nature and Child Nurture. St. John. 

Boy and Girl Adolescent Period. Fiske. 

Children's Rights. Wiggin and Smith. 

The Story of Life for Children. Lutes. 

The Spark of Life. Morley. 

How ShaU I Tell My Child. Chapman. 

When a Boy Becomes a Man. Bisseker. 

Instead of "Wild Oats." Hall. 

The Changing Girl. Latimer. 

Almost a Man. Allen. 

Almost a Woman. Allen. 

The Man Wonderful. Allen. 

Teaching Truth. Allen. 

Confidences: Talks with a Young Girl. Lowry. 



96 ®fje ©ome department 

Truths: Talks with a Boy. Lowry. 
Booklets 

Prenatal Influences. Caldwell. 
The Story of Life for Little Children. Whitney. 
The Right of the Child to Be Well Born. Arvin. 
Talk with the King's Daughter. Caldwell. 

Books on Personal Work 
The Passion for Men. Hallenbeck. 
The Method of the Master. Peck. 
Rescue the Perishing. Seibert. 
Soul Winning. Potter. 
The Book of Personal Work. Faris. 

Material for Work Among Foreigners 
(Presbyterian Board of Publication and Sabbath School Work) 
L'Era Nuova. Italian Weekly. 

Krestanske Listy. Czechoslovak Weekly. (Bohemian.) 
Sojuz. Ruthenian Weekly. 

Amerikai-Magyar-Reformatusok-Lapja. Hungarian Weekly. 
Slowa Zywota. Polish Monthly. 

(Other Publishers) 

Swedish Quarterly. Swedish Publishing Company, 180 N. 
Dearborn Street, Chicago. 

Norwegian Quarterly. Evangelisten Publishing Society, 3525 
Fullerton Avenue, Chicago. 

Greek Magazine, Truth. 307 Market Street, Lowell, Massa- 
chusetts. 

French Magazine. 23 Bleury Street, Montreal, Canada. 

Tracts, gospels, and religious books, in all languages, may be 
secured from the American Bible Society, Bible House, Astor 
Place, New York City, or any of its branches; American Tract 
Society, Park Place and Fortieth Street, New York City; Bible 
Institute Colportage Association, 826 N. Lasalle Street, Chicago; 
and also through the publishing houses of several of the larger 
denominations. 



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